It's time you learn a new cooking technique, Sous Vide.

Don't let the strange name fool you. Sous Vide (pronounced sue-veed) translates as "under vacuum" in French. The beauty (and secret) of sous vide cooking is that you cook your food sealed in a heat proof bag or pouch that is then submersed in precisely heated water until it reaches the exact temperature of the water. This great method makes it impossible to overcook foods, and the newest Sous Vide appliances make it incredibly easy for the home cook.

It's time to learn a new cooking technique.

Let's start with a little background, shall we? In the 1960's, just when vacuum sealing with plastics was being mastered, the process of vacuum sealing food and holding it in a hot water bath was used for pasteurizing and sterilizing commercially packaged foods.

In 1974 a French chef, Pierre Troisgros started to experiment with this latest technology in his restaurant, and alas a new cooking technique was born. In the 1980's Bruno Goussault, economist, inventor, and chef partnered with another Frenchman, Chef Joël Robuchon to create a sous vide dining program for the French railroad. It's a terrific way to "hold" food, especially meat and poultry without drying it out or overcooking it.

The technique slowly started to spread to chefs in the United States in the early 2000's via the internet. By 2005 Sous Vide cooking began to be featured in cookbooks, restaurants, and cooking classes. Innovative chefs from Chicago, Charleston and New York were perfecting their sous vide technique, by playing with different cooking times and temperatures on a variety of proteins. It was on Iron Chef America, in 2006, that a sous vide circulator made its television debut, when Mario Battali battled it out with New York's own, Wylie Dufresne.

Fast forward to the introduction of the wand-style immersion sous vide circulator. About the size of a standard immersion blender the immersion circulator lets you use your own pot or vessel. Just fill your pot or waterproof vessel with enough water to cover the sealed bag of food that you are cooking. Then set your desired temperature and time of cooking. These cirulators are easier to use and store, as well as less expensive than the earlier bulky all-in-one countertop units. This innovation helped sous vide cooking gain popularity with home cooks.

The Breville Joule Stainless Steel Sous Vide Circulator has everything you'd expect from Breville, it's compact, smart, sleek, and powerful. While it's the smallest circulator out there it's also the most powerful immersion-style sous vide available. It heats up 10+ gallons of water faster than any other immersion circulator and holds the temperature with absolute accuracy to ensure perfect results every time. And with a price tag well under $300, it's my top pick.

But wait, there's even more greatness. The Breville Joule Sous Vide is controlled exclusively by a groundbreaking app that works through your smart phone. This feature gives sous vide veterans to beginners the ability to regulate and watch the cooking process from anywhere! Pick your doneness, and press go! It's that simple. If you need a bit more guidance, no worries. The Visual Doneness™ feature will show you how your food will turn out before you even get started. Anyone can make the perfect steak or juicy, tender chicken breast and lots more with the Breville Joule Sous Vide.

It's ingenious metal foot at the base helps keep it steady in any magnetic metal pot, without the need for clips. At only thirteen inches long and under a pound and a half, the Breville Joule Sous Vide fits nicely into kitchen drawers.

Take a closer look at this great Sous Vide Immersion Circulator from Breville »

We also carry a few other Sous Vide Cooking options you may be interested in.

You'll also need heat-safe pouches to seal your food for cooking. If you have a vacuum sealer at home you're good to go. If not, my favorite new bags for sous vide cooking and food storage are these nifty, reusable, 100% silicone, soft-sided bags from Stasher.

Your sous vide cooking is a success with their half gallon bag that will hold 2 strip steaks or a small roast. A healthy alternative to plastic containers and bags that is safe for people and the planet. The translucent silicone lets you see what you are storing, but you can also use a dry erase marker to label the bag.

Shop Stasher Half Gallon Reusable Silicone Bag (perfect for sous vide cooking!)

Shop all Stasher Reusable Silicone Bags »

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